Cable assemblies are generally composed of an outer conduit and an inner cable which is sheathed by the conduit. The cable is able to slide axially within the conduit such that at the ends of the cable assembly there is relative movement as between the end of the conduit and the end of the cable whereby various devices are operably linked for providing a useful result, such as for example the actuation of a lock member at one end of the cable assembly in response to movement of a handle at the other end of the cable assembly.
In the automotive arts, a cable assembly is used to mechanically connect a door handle to a latch mechanism of the door, wherein these components are separated by a distance bridged by the cable assembly. An example of such a cable assembly used in an automotive door is depicted at FIG. 1 and is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,619 to Arabia, Jr., et al. issued on Apr. 18, 2000 and assigned to the assignee hereof, the disclosure of which is hereby herein incorporated by reference.
A cable assembly 10 spans between a latch mechanism 12 and a door handle 14. The cable assembly 10 is composed, as shown at FIG. 1A, of a conduit (or sheath) 16 and a cable (or core) 18, wherein the cable is axially slidable in the cable passage 16a of the conduit without binding. The conduit 16 has conduit connectors 16a, 16b at each end which interface with the latch mechanism 12 and the door handle 14, respectively; and the cable 18 has cable connectors 18a, 18b at each end which also interface with the latch mechanism and the door handle, respectively. The cable assembly 10 is such that the conduit and the cable are both capable of acting in tension and in compression. In operation, when the door handle is pulled, the cable slides in relation to the conduit which effects actuation of the latch mechanism, whereby the door 20 is unlocked and unlatched in sequence.
Problematically, moisture can accumulate, as for non-limiting example by a condensation process, within the conduit of the cable assembly, whereby the cable can be subjected to possible corrosion and the moisture may be subject to possible freezing. Therefore, it would be beneficial if somehow moisture could escape the conduit, while yet the operative interaction between the cable and the conduit is unaffected.